DEBATE: Utah Jazz’s Draft Strategy | High-Risk PRODIGY or NBA-Ready Talent? What says Tony Jones?

DEBATE: Utah Jazz’s Draft Strategy | High-Risk PRODIGY or NBA-Ready Talent? What says Tony Jones?

what should the Jazz do at five and what should they do at 21 are there any trades all that and more straight ahead on Locked on Jazz with the athletics Tony Jones you are Locked on Jazz your daily podcast on the Utah Jazz part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day hello and welcome in to Locked on Jazz i’m Leaf Tulene i’m excited to be back with you filling in for David Lock on Locked on Jazz and as most you guys know by now lifelong Jazz fans credentialed NBA draft analyst for locked on NBA big board attendee the 2023 and 2024 NBA draft combine jazz broadcast assistant statistitian the past four seasons lover of college hoops so I’ll make sure to get you guys what you need to know about your beloved Jazz and who they could be selecting thank you guys for making Locked on Jazz your first listen each and every day and remember Locked on Jazz is free and available on all platforms including YouTube at Locked OnJazz where the best way to help us grow is to comment anything below and today’s question is what do you think about Tony’s pitch and what the Jazz should do at five and the rumors that are swirling around what what what do you believe and what is false in your opinion so let us know in the comments below and I’ll engage with you guys there today’s episode’s brought to you by Gametown Game Time download the Game Time app and create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase and today on the show we’ve got a fun one tony and I are going to discuss the fifth pick the 21st pick talk about the rumors swirling around at five with ace Bailey falling down is VJ going to be gone it’s common mileatch in the discussion for the Jazz and then also talk about some trade rumors so let’s dive right in we got tons to talk about tony Jones kind enough to grace us on locked on Jazz tony Jones is an incredible writer for the Athletic and an all-around great guy that I I get to play some hoops with occasionally tony I got to ask you your first question right here the Jazz are at five they wanted one they wanted two they wanted three they wanted four but some of the guys that they thought would be there at three and four may be there at five what do you make of all this like windstorm of rumors of saying a guy like Ace could be there at seven and a guy like VJ is the likely pick at three when it all felt pretty certain it was going to be one two and three cooper Ruckers Ruters oh the I don’t think the the league has had that opinion for a long time i mean the stuff with Ace is real um you know his you know he’s been a polarizing figure uh for decision makers around the league for you know months now and you know I think the the best way to describe the whole thing with Ace right now is that GMs are are are scared to take him petrified to petrified to draft him and they’re petrified to to uh uh they’re petrified to pass up on him because they might draft him and he might turn into Cam Reddish and they might pass up on him and he might turn into Tracy McGra uh so you know it’s it’s definitely one of those those polarizing things you know he’s he’s definitely this year’s Cam Whitmore even though he’s a lot more talented um than Cam uh is which makes it even more you know which makes it even more polarizing and and makes the subject even more um interesting but you know I I I think AC’s ceiling is is to to Philadelphia at three and you know I could see a scenario where he falls all the way into the latter stages of the top 10 so you know it it it makes it really interesting it makes it really interesting talk but you know this is not just talk with him you know this is not just a you know draft your usual draft narrative with him the the the polarization of Ace Rail of Ace Bailey uh is as real as it gets so with that said the Jazz hold the fifth pick and certainly could be in the the mix for Ace Bailey if Tony Jones was the guy in charge making his pick for the Utah Jazz what is the best case scenario for the Jazz uh and also if Ace is there at five whether that is the answer or not would you take him based on what you feel about him um I think the the best case scenario with the Jazz would probably be well not probably the best case scenario with the Jazz Trey Johnson or VJOM is Oh really i’m all in on Trey i’m not very high on VJ you know well the intel on VJ that you know I’ve heard from everybody around the league is is wonderful like you know people around the league think he’s uh as hard a worker as almost anybody in the draft in that you know they’re betting on VJ Echum the person to get VJ Echum the basketball player to his ceiling and that’s why you hear VJ um so um so high in talks in terms of you know Philadelphia and right now I believe VJ has a floor like I think VJ Eskram’s floor is at four i think that he’s Charlotte Charlotte’s preferred pick gms really really really really have loved his interviews and have loved uh the pre-draft process with him and they’re willing to bet on the athleticism they’re willing to bet on the defense and they’re willing to bet on VJ the person uh being able to improve the swing skills like the handle uh and you know in the in the dribbling the dribbling and and the shooting so um that being said yeah Trey Johnson for me is is the guy that you know I think would be you know best case scenario false to the Jazz which means one of Ace or Khan goes to three to Philly um and then you know VJ goes four or VJ goes three to Philly Khan goes four to Charlotte and then Trey Johnson is is there for for for the Jazz at five i think Trey Johnson is um maybe as wellrounded an offensive talent as there is in this draft um to me he reminds me of a young Devin Booker uh in the way he can play on or off the ball uh he’s an underrated passer uh he’s got tremendous absolutely tremendous footwork um and you know he’s a guy that can can run pick and roll he’s a weapon shooter uh on the move or in the standstill there’s just a lot of ways that a team can use Trey Johnson uh offensively and I think that he’s he’s a guy that has a chance to be an offensive engine in this league see I’m I’m right there with you i I compared him not to the exact player that SGA is but in the sense that he follows a similar development path it’s a two guard skill set that he’s such a good scorer and all of a sudden his scoring takes him to a level where he creates advantages four on threes five on fours and he he creates off of a ball screen he snakes the dribble and he’s got two eyes two sets of eyes on him at all times and he finds the open player not because he’s an innately amazing passer but because he’s vastly underrated at passing and he’s already decent at it everyone acts like he’s Cam Thomas Jamal Crawford and I think he can pass especially with spacing and I think he’s the best shooter in the draft that will go in the first round i think Kobe Brea is a better shooter and he’s an anomaly of a shooter and Trey Johnson shoots 55% off of off the ball and then with the ball in his hands he still was able to score unbelievably difficult one so I’m with you trey Johnson’s my best case scenario i have him number three on my board uh followup to what you were saying about Devin Booker i agree there but how likely is it that Trey Johnson is not picked third or fourth you you mentioned that VJ might be the the favorite at three or and is the favorite at four if I’m interpreting what you’re saying correctly but how likely is it that Trey is not taken with the other pick third or fourth well I think the wild card in that is Coniple i mean he’s got fans at three at four and at five he’s in the mix in all three spots and you know he’s got fans in Philadelphia i don’t know that he’s the favorite in Philly i think VJ is probably the favorite in Philly if I had to to tag a favorite right now um VJ’s definitely uh according to everybody I talked to around the league VJ’s pretty solidly the favorite at four but if VJ goes three then all of a sudden Charlotte is picking between Kanipple Trey Johnson and possibly Ace Bailey and if Charlotte picks Kanipple then obviously Trey Johnson is uh is available at five and you know the Jazz have had Trey Johnson in for a workout um they like the workout uh he was good in it uh I think that you know I don’t know that the Jazz view him as a perfect prospect but I I think that you know he has enough fans that you know if he fell a five that I think that he would be the pick there do you think that if Ace Bailey and Trey Johnson are both on the board Trey Johnson’s the pick oh absolutely and and let’s go to the Duke side of things you’ve mentioned uh in Twitter reports that common Malawatch even if Walker Kesler is on the roster uh it has some fans in the front office and would be would be someone in the contention and same with Kanipple so what is the pitch for Jazz fans that are you know like myself really want to star here that’s my gripe with taking some of these players that I don’t foresee superstar upside uh so what’s the pitch for Khan Canipple or Common Modw Watch over the flashier pick of Trey Johnson or Ace Bailey well I I don’t think common I don’t think Milo watch would go go over Trey Johnson i just don’t think that he’s high higher on Utah’s board than Trey i’m not sure that he would go over Jeremy Jeremiah Fears i’m not sure he would go over Conole but let’s just say something happens and you know you know the Jazz trip and fall slip on a banana and come on mile watch is number one on their board at number five so what’s the reason for them to pick number one my sources tell me that Malawatch you know I I said on Twitter that Malawatch worked out for the Jazz um my sources tell me that that workout went really well you know he was very impressive uh he shot the ball uh extremely well uh in the workout um but the reason to potentially draft Malawatch would be to reset the timeline and what I mean by resetting the timeline is the Jazz have to pay Walker Kesler or they have to decide whether they want to pay Walker Kesler this summer uh he’s you know he’s due for um he’s eligible for uh the the rookie extension um the Jazz could decide not to pay that extension and let him to get to restricted free agency next year uh in that case I think things could get you know expensive for them um but you know they have to you know sit down with Walker’s people and you know they have to to figure out you know what’s a number that’s good good for both sides if you draft Malawatch then all of a sudden you reset that timeline because then all of a sudden if you draft Malawatch you’re probably going to look into trading Walker Kesler so you know that’s probably the reason my sense of the whole thing is that Malawatch is is not on the not at the top of that leaderboard at five like I said you know you know Trey Johnson would be before him um I think Jeremiah Fears would be before him you know I think Ace Ba would be before him but you know I’m not I’m not certain about that um and and Khan Canipple would be uh in in that mix as well uh Canipple and Fierce both have uh real fans within the Jazz um you know Canipple you know similar to VJ he is he has interviewed uh extremely well he has shown himself uh to be an extremely mature human being during this draft process um and I think that you know uh Philadelphia Charlotte and the Jazz have really liked you know the professionalism that he’s shown uh through the through the draft process and you know Canipple does some things that are really unique he plays off of two feet better than any um prospect that I’ve seen in the draft since Jaylen Brunson do you want to hear my nickname for him what jay Wright’s wet dream there we go see we always align on basketball thoughts yeah I I that’s what I’ve called him since November because he jump stops all the time uh yeah let’s talk Coniple a little bit and then some rumors coming up at the next segment got to got to hit a break here come back with some more Con Canipple breakdown and then some rumors um about trading up or down with with picks and the 21st pick i wish we had more time because Tony and I can talk all day but we also got to tell you about some picks at 21 because I promised it yesterday as well so we’ll hit that and a lot more coming up on Locked on Jazz so Lollipop is the new kind of soda made for people who love the classic taste of soda but want something that supports their health with just 2 to 5 grams of sugar and 9 g of prebiotic fiber in every can lollipop is the rematching soda in a way that’s better for your gut traditional sodas are loaded with sugar like 39 grams in Coke or 44 in orange Fanta and Ollipop flips that script with just a fraction of the sugar no artificial sweeteners and a gut friendly ingredients like Olly Smart a blend shown to support digestive and overall health it’s soda that tastes like the real thing but actually does something good for your body so what flavor is because Lollipop has maybe Dr goodwin which is their Dr pepper or my personal favorite root beer which is I’ve got right here uh you can get the classic soda taste for so much better and there’s here so if you So how cool is that that about a 30 just can so get a free can just buy two cans in the store and they’ll reimburse you for one head to drinkop.comonmbba to claim your free can and find Ollipop near you that’s drinkpop.com/lockton NBA all right Tony we’re back here and Khan Canipple is an interesting player because I think he’s got a high floor don’t necessarily see the same upside and like you mentioned he’s one of the best off two feet his balance is great he’s a very good shooter uh what what would make Jazz fans stomach the pick i know they wanted the Cooper flag they they finally were bad enough to be in the sweep stakes for the number one pick but now you’re getting a guy that most don’t see an all-star what would be the reason that you could say Jazz fans be excited about this if they were to take Coniple well they would get a Duke freshman yeah that was what I my premise was a couple days ago on the show um you know Khan Canipple to me I I think you know what he would bring to the roster is is mature a certain level of maturity at at his age not to say this is not to say that there’s not maturity on the roster but you know you can’t have enough maturity on on a roster um you know so that and you know I think that you know it remains to be seen if he’s going to be a three-level scorer because I believe that he he’ll be able to score from three-point range obviously I believe that he’s he’ll be able to get into the mid-range and score there and it’ll be it’ll remains to be seen whether he he’ll be able to score at the basket but you know similar to Trey’s I think he can create basketball advantages uh even against more athletic guys and you know the thing with Canipple people have been saying well you know he’s not athletic you know once he gets to you know certain level this is going to stop once he gets to a certain level this is going to stop they said that about him in high school you know once you know when he was in Wisconsin they said “Yeah he can’t go to the top 100 camp and do the same thing that he does to the kids in Wisconsin.” Well he went to the top 100 camp and did the same things to the that he did to the kids of Wisconsin that made him a national recruit well he can’t go to Duke and do that in the ACC well he went to the Duke and he did that to in the ACC so he’s used to figuring out a way to still be um a star level player with every jump every leap that he’s made um that he makes in in competition so I’m not really worried uh about you know the perceived lack of athleticism and whether or not that it can translate to the to the NBA the kid knows how to play he’s 6’6 i believe that he’s a two guard in this league which gives him good size and you know the shooting the ball handling um you know he’s a really really good passer uh he’s really smart off the ball uh he’s a really knockdown shooter and you know I think that he’s going to be able to develop a post up game uh from the two guard spot i believe he’s a better defender uh in isolation that people give him credit for like you know he’s not Wallace and he’s not L Dor but he’s going to stay in front of he’s going to stay in front of guys i truly believe that he can be a Desmond Bane level of player which is fringe allstar type you know very strong number three you know number two on a playoff team type and if you’re a Jazz fan if you’re a Jazz fan the question is can you stumb can you live with that in a vacuum because it that in a vacuum that’s probably worth the fifth pick like if we knew the appeal of getting the dude is so strong when you’re in the top five but like if you told me that Desmond Bane was the number five pick of of an NBA draft knowing you know obviously he wasn’t you know but if you told me that this is the career that he had and this is Desmond Bane he’s going number five in his class you’re going to take that more often than not because that is a very good player and if Khan Canipple turns into that that’s a very good player the question for the Jazz for Jazz fans is did we lose 65 games to draft Desmond Bay and you know and that’s the question that Jazz fans are going to have to reconcile and answer for themselves i mean you sold me more than I was sold on Khan and I’ve watched tons of Khan and I like him as a player was not the guy that I’d like the Jazz to take because like you said as a Jazz fan if you’re going to lose 65 games and you’re going to manipulate lineups the way they had you got to find a chance of getting the start and that’s why I’m all in on Trey Johnson but speaking of late draft success uh Desmond Bam was the 30th pick and has been excellent the Jazz have the 21st pick i promised Jazz fans I’d discussed this so what are what are your favorite options that you think could conceivably be there at 21 because I’ve given a few but there’s some people who don’t think they’re going to be there there’s some that think “Oh I’m reaching for others.” So what are your your preferred options for the Jazz at 21 well there are so many options there that I think that somebody’s going to be there that shouldn’t be there i agree i think that there’s a chance that the Jazz wake up at 21 and Aseno is still there for some reason like you know he just got squeezed maybe Rasher Fleming is there i love Rashir Fleming like that’s the guy that I I hope is there i don’t think that Rashir Fleming is going to be there but that’s a guy that I hope is going to be there and and for for reference Rashir Fleming is a guy who played he’s 69 240 played at St joe’s scored 15 a game nine and a half boards and has a 75 wingspan and shot 39% from three the the knock on him as to why he could be there for those listening is that he’s older in doing so it’s not like he’s a freshman doing so or he’d be a lottery pick guaranteed still could be uh my favorite guy that I’ve had in the class in that kind of wing range has been Carter Bryant for a while i don’t think he’s going to be there cedric Coward is another one I felt like I identified early and I don’t think he’s going to be there so now the two that I’ve kind of focused on have been uh Drake Powell and Will Riley and I I think they’re there for different reasons will Riley super slender 69 doesn’t shoot it great per the percentages but I think will be a good shooter was a 90th percentile isolation guy as a freshman ran a bunch of pick and rolls and uh Drake Powell is the best athlete in the draft and and he I think defensively is somewhere in between a Christian Brown and Oag Baji like that’s who he kind of reminds me of as a freshman and those guys came out as upper classman so what do you make of those guys anyone else stand out well Nate Clifford stands out as well and I think Nate Clifford is is is a favorite of is definitely a favorite of mine um but you know a lot like Rasher Fleming Nick Clifford is is older uh he’s he’s been he’s been around for a while but he can dribble pass and shoot and I think that the J this Jazz roster desperately needs guys who can dribble pass with shoot dribble pass and shoot and also defend like Nick Clifford does um and defend with size so let’s get that out of the way um will Will Raleigh for me my hot take is that he was the best freshman on his team this year over Casper Yaka Jonas interesting i believe he was the best freshman on his team this year um like you said um it’s hard to find six foot n guys who can dribble and Will Rally can dribble and I believe that he can pass and I believe that he will be able to shoot he’s going to have to fall in love with the weight room uh he’s very slender uh I you know he’s going to be you know I he’s kind of Cody Williams slender at this point and you know people are going to be able to knock him off of his path uh a lot but if he hits will rally’s upside is is tremendous like he you know there’s there’s a there’s a a pathway to us looking up in five years and saying something like how the hell the real will rally last to the 20s so here’s a philosophical question for you Tony and and I think you know where I’m going to go with this when you draft a 20 oftent times people have said you you swing for the fences and try to get someone because most of the time when you’re in the 20s you’re you’re taking a guy to help a roster that’s already really good now with the new CBA is there any uh legitimacy to trying to choose older players so that you can have good players ready to go but the Jazz aren’t one of those good teams so do they go with the swing well the Jazz aren’t one of those good teams they they they have to go with a swing the reason and and the fact that they have to go with a swing is the reason to pick Ace Bailey at five right you’re reading my mind that was my next question because Ace Bailey has the super has superstar upside point blank now he has out of the year out of the league in in three years of a floor but he’s got a super duper star upside and if you’re the Jazz and if you’re a Jazz fan and you lost 65 games and you manipulated lineups you want somebody that has uh a superstar outcome so even at 21 Will Rally fits because he fits that because he fits that but I believe that this Jazz this Jazz roster really needs basketball players and they really need smart basketball players and that’s why I really like Nick Clifford there because he’s a smart basketball player y and you know he knows like he just knows how to he knows how to play basketball rashier Fleming he’s a smart basketball player and he knows how to play basketball he’s like a a a 23 year old version of Taylor Hendrickx to me that’s my exact comp for for Rashier Fleming i think they’re very similar yeah they’re very similar and for me you can’t have enough Taylor Hendricks on your roster that’s a winning basketball player like out of all of the young guys that the Jazz have I’m the highest right now on Taylor on Taylor Hendendricks providing he comes back from the broken leg and he goes back to being Taylor Hendris but um you know you can’t have enough of those that’s why I like you know that’s why I like him i mean you know what if Igor Dem you know falls to number 21 um do they look at Nolan Treyori at 21 bad idea because you know with Treyari you know I think you I think the Jazz lack guys who can get into the paint off the dribble and Nolan Troy can get a paint touch off the dribble almost at will you know what if new falls and then all of a sudden you know he’s there at 21 you know do you look at Danny Wolf at 21 knowing how how well Cal Philip he’s already a flip I don’t see it I I think there if you if you have flip already I don’t see going for Wolfe i think I think many You can have two flips and one at power forward and one at center you might give up 200 points a game you might but you might score 201 okay that’s fair i one other guy that I think is interesting would be Liam McNeely who at times has been a top 10 guy and then has fallen and seemingly and I think he could be there so I I my contention is that 21 I think the Jazz come away with a good player and where the draft is heading whereas five is the one I’m more scared of because I think there is that is there the need for taking a swing for the fence is the grand slam swing for a uh for Ace or is it a you know hit a home run to the opposite field with with Trey Johnson that could be could be great or do you go for the safe you know double in coniple or or someone in that regard so I feel pretty confident 21 coming up next we’re going to talk about the other way to get a superstar or just some very important players that’s realistic trades that the Jazz could make we got that and a lot more ahead with myself and Tony Jones on locked on Jazz there’s just nothing like the NBA playoffs the intensity 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exclusive discounts so take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time download the Game Time app and create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code L O C K D O NA on uh for $20 off so download the Game Time app today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed welcome back to Locked on Jazz leaf Tulene and Tony Jones taking you through some realistic trade options we we talked a little bit to Andy Larson on the previous episode on what could happen for the Utah Jazz that’s not draft related are there draft trades the Jazz make uh are there targets the Jazz are looking at that are already good NBA players that they want to get in the draft in sometime but already could have the chance so Tony I just turn it over to you what is what is the vibe around the Jazz right now in terms of the trade market because I think because of the new CBA more teams are going to be more experimental and make trades that could turn out to be shortsided or could turn out to look ingenious down the road well right now I mean I’m told that nothing’s close you know the Jazz are taking calls um they’re doing due diligence you know I think it’s going to come down to what’s available and kind of what shakes out on the market and whether the Jazz see if you know there’s an opportunity you know I believe if they had gotten Cooper flag um I believe that they would have pivoted towards trying to make a trade towards a high impact veteran because if you have Cooper flagged and all of a sudden that speeds up your timeline um you know but right now I think they’re you know kind of on the fence of whether they want to go and try to take a a high impact swing or whether they want to keep going young i believe that the best their best of course of action uh right now just for this year is to go young and you know try to make sure that they keep uh their draft pick next year because I believe that the 2026 draft is uh has a chance to be on par with you know the 2003 draft the 1996 draft the 1984 draft in terms of you know potential best drafts of all time and I think that the Jazz want and need to be a part of that part of that draft class um you know so you know it it’s it’s going to come down to you know what the Jazz do in the next two to three weeks and you know they can you know go away of saying “Hey we have Lowry Marketing let’s go and try to trade for a high impact veteran uh to come and play with Lowry Marketing.” or they can say “Hey you know we have this dra draft pick that we owe to Oklahoma City Thunder and we need to be in that protected range because uh we need one of those those guys from the 2026 class.” So it’s going to be really fascinating to see which way the Jazz go i don’t think it’s impossible that the Jazz could make a trade for an impact player maybe not the superstar and still be within the top eight because you look at the West there’s 12 teams I think even I made the idea of Jiren Jackson Jr after Bane got traded and maybe Memphis is willing to trade more players jiren Jackson Jr has been an allNBA guy he’s won defensive player of the year you put him in a lineup with Lowry and Kesler that’s a really good team but I still looked at all the teams and I thought maybe there’s 12 better teams in the West so you do the math there and that puts him in contention to keep that pick so is there any uh belief that a guy like Jiren Jackson Jr or a a Trey Murphy guys like that that I think are floated on the market that are hot commodities end up in Salt Lake or am I just dreaming i think that there’s a chance that they take calls on those and you know I mean not not saying Jiren Jackson Jr or Trey Murphy specifically i know that the entire league likes Trey Murphy and I think New Orleans They’re copying me Tony they’re copying me he hit six threes against House in his first game at Virginia that was my guy when when Trey Murphy was coming out in that draft I I wanted the Jazz to get him so badly you’re telling me and I remember talking you know to members of the front office and they were like “Yeah we want him too Tony but yeah he’s going to be gone well before we’re picking.” Yeah so um you know he he’s just a ridiculously versatile uh and good player and I believe that he’s durability away from from becoming an all-star um you know but you know I I think the the litmus test for me is what do the Jazz do a point guard because right now the reason one of the biggest reasons why they’re the 13th or 14th 15th best team in the West uh is is because of point guard play and if they go out and they get a high impact veteran at point guard then that’s going to tell you exactly you know what they what they want to do uh either way and you know if they roll with Isaiah Collier and keep trying to develop him then you know that’s going to tell you some things uh as well you know I I think that you know the Jazz have decent pieces other places right like you know you have Lowry so that’s you know an all-star level forward you have Walker Kesler you know he’s you know to me I think that he can one day be a defensive player of the year candidate uh at the five spot um you know but every other spot is like really in flux so what do they do with those other three three spots uh on the floor and how do they fill fill the gaps and how do they fill the roster i I’m with you so I I’ll put two bigname guys that I think the Jazz could be interested in but not to make them immediately better but could help in the long run damen Lillard and Drew Holiday are either options because they have massive contracts dame obviously would miss the season with an Achilles drew is is maybe on the way out because the Celtics have some money ma making decisions to say okay who’s going to stay on this team and what nucleus are we going to create create and keep uh is there any world the Jazz have either on their roster at the start of this uh upcoming season i mean I haven’t heard those names um you know but obviously a couple of years ago the Jazz made a really strong play for Drew Holiday yep um and you know they had a trade lined up for him um they had a really strong offer lined up for him and you know polit politics stopped that one yeah you know so you know obviously the Jazz are not adverse to having Drew Holiday on the roster um I haven’t heard his name come up i haven’t really heard anybody’s name come up in terms of you know in terms of veterans you know but what I have you know talking to the Jazz you know the definitive thing that we know is that you know they’re open to anything at this point you know they’re open to to making a high impact trade swing and they’re open to to going young um it just depends on you know what’s available on the market and you know what the opportunities uh present themselves for for for them um you know I think that you know their immediate uh their immediate focus is trying to to figure out what to do at five and there’s some pressure there right because they haven’t picked in the top five since 2014 that top five pick turned out not to be a great pick that was Dante Exom they have had lottery picks for going on three years now and they haven’t really hit on one of those lottery pick on any of those lottery picks like they you know let’s keep it real they haven’t hit on any of they need to hit on this pick no matter what they do whether they make a trade whether they make a trade up whether they make a trade down you know whatever they do whatever decision that they make that decision needs to age well over time um you know so I think there’s significant pressure on Austin A and Danny A and Justin Xanic to really get this draft uh correct now they’ve they’ve gotten the drafts correct in their later picks like they picked Bryce Sensible he’s turned out to be a rotation level player they picked Isaiah Collier he’s turning out to be a rotation level player they picked Kyle Filipowski and Keonte George those guys are rotation level players but they haven’t gotten a star and they need a star level talent uh on this roster to to build around which is why I believe this is the year the Jazz have to take a guy who can be an all-star and can be even more than that the franchise changer which is why I’ll be disappointed if it’s not someone named Trey Johnson or Ace Bailey so my final question to you Tony I could talk to you for hours and perhaps we’ll have to after but we gota we got to stay in the format here uh what is the the the most likely outcome so in a week from today when we’re recording so six days from when everyone listens and the Jazz are picking number five your expectation is the Jazz select whom so I believe that Cooper Flag is going number one uh Dylan Harper’s going number two i believe that VJ Ashkcom goes number three and then I believe that that’s where the the draft starts and so then you know I believe that Charlotte picks between Khan Canipple or Trey Johnson and then then if it’s Khan Canipple then the Jazz should run to the podium and take Trey Johnson if it’s Trey Johnson then I believe that the Jazz are picking between Khan Canipple Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Fierce those three any one of them stand out i just don’t know how that’s gonna go i just don’t know how that’s gonna go i’ll put it out there i would take Ace Bailey if I’m the Jazz i do a lot of Sky i would take Ace there my personal opinion I would take Ace Bailey for Let’s break it down i would take Ace Bailey i think Khan Canipple is a better player than Ace Bailey now uh I believe that Jeremiah Fears is positively dynamic i do not believe that you can win with his arc type or I believe that is extremely difficult to win with his arc type which kind of knocks him down a couple of notches for me and so I’m just going to go ahead and bet on the 6’9 shooting guard uh who’s probably the second best shotmaker in the draft behind Trey Johnson uh and I’m going to put him you know Ace has some real flags but I’m just going to put him in a really good basketball environment i’m gonna nurture him and I’m gonna bet on my development and I’m gonna bet that I can develop him into an allNBA level player so Ace Bailey would be my would be I’m I’m on board we’re in lock stuff i was going to say speak that one to existence for me Tony because I’d be delighted but thank you for your time i wish we could we could keep you longer uh thank you guys the listeners for making Locked on Jazz your first listen today and for your second listen check out the locked on 2025 NBA mockdraft a five episode series the most comprehensive NBA draft analysis from NBA experts to college experts and NBA draft experts so find the 2025 locked on NBA mockdraft on NBA bigboard and locked on NBA on YouTube wherever you listen to your podcast and thank you guys for tuning in and let us know if you agree would you take Ace would you take Trey what do you want to do and thank you once again to Tony and we’ll be back tomorrow with more NBA draft breakdowns for my final episode with you uh this week

Will the Utah Jazz strike gold with their 5th pick in the NBA draft? The team’s future hangs in the balance as they navigate a crucial decision.

Tony Jones of The Athletic joins to break down top prospects like Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, and VJ Edgecombe. He compares Johnson’s well-rounded offensive game to a young Devin Booker, while noting GMs are “petrified” about Bailey’s boom-or-bust potential. The discussion explores the Jazz’s options at pick 21, potential trades for impact veterans, and their overall draft strategy. Jones emphasizes Utah’s need for a star to build around, possibly favoring high-upside talents over safer picks.

Tune in for expert analysis on how the Jazz can maximize their draft position and accelerate their rebuild.

0:00 Jazz draft options at 5 and 21

5:56 Tre Johnson as best case scenario for Jazz

9:58 Analyzing Kon as potential Jazz pick

15:51 Options for Jazz with 21st draft pick

24:03 Balancing upside vs NBA-ready players in draft

29:39 Potential trade options for the Jazz

34:42 Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday trade possibilities

37:59 Most likely outcome for Jazz at #5 pick

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Utah Jazz draft, NBA draft analysis, Trey Johnson, Ace Bailey, Kon, VJ Edgecombe, Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, Tony Jones, David Locke, Locked On Jazz, Utah Jazz podcast, Utah Jazz news, NBA trade rumors, Jazz roster development, NBA lottery picks, draft strategy, superstar potential, NBA prospects, Jazz front office, Austin Ainge, Danny Ainge, Justin Zanik, NBA Western Conference, player development, NBA draft combine

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